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Considering that the tabby pattern is the most common of all cat coat patterns, you might have a tabby cat, and you’ve definitely seen one. Cats with tabby-patterned coats are commonly referred to as “tabbies” or “tabby cats,” although that is not a breed. Tabbies come in five basic patterns — classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked and patched.

1. Those cool tabby cat patterns have a scientific reason

That tabby cat coat is actually good camouflage. Photography by darkbird77/Thinkstock.

Tabby patterns are also excellent built-in camouflage, perhaps a leftover blessing from the domestic cat’s ancestors. Their colors and patterns break up the outlines of their bodies to help disguise them in the woods and tall grasses, making them harder for predators and prey alike to spot them. Camouflage is nature’s protection against predators and helps the cat sneak up undetected on prey. Wild cats, like the Bobcat, European Wildcat, Leopard Cat, and many more sport tabby coat patterns. When they are very still in the trees or fallen leaves, they can be very hard to spot.

2. The tabby cat coat may be the oldest cat coat in existence

If you have a tabby cat, you may have a piece of the beginning of cats. Some believe that the tabby pattern is the oldest cat coat pattern known to man, which makes perfect sense considering how well their coats blend with their surroundings (see above!).

3. There’s some fascinating folklore associated with tabby cats

Tabby cats also come with their own folklore. One tale involved a tabby cat who fell asleep on the prophet Mohammed’s sleeve. Rather than disturb the sleeping feline, he cut his sleeve off when he went to pray. The cat later warned him of danger, so it is said that the “M” marking on tabbies is from Mohammed’s blessing, and the dark lines down their back from where he stroked his cat. Egyptians believed the mark was symbolic of the sacred scarab beetle or a reference to their Egyptian name, Mau. Catholics believed the “M” was a blessing from the Virgin Mary, after the cat killed a venomous snake sent to bite baby Jesus. Non-Catholic Christians have a similar tale, with a mother tabby cat curling up in the manger with baby Jesus to keep him warm.

4. Tabby cats were persecuted at one point in time

Medieval England (circa A.D. 906) believed witches used cats as familiars, and their tabby cats would transform themselves into black horses that the witches rode. Because of these beliefs, women who were not of the accepted religion or went against society in other ways, such as practicing medicine, were persecuted, along with their feline friends. This led to a decline in the population of tabby cats, as well as black cats, in England, and has perhaps contributed to some of the public’s feelings about them today. Fortunately for the tabby cat and black cats alike, most people don’t give credence to old wives’ tales and folk tales about cats.

Tell us: Do you have a tabby cat? What folktales have you heard about them? Tell us about your tabby cat in the comments!

Most of my cats have been Tabby markings. Our last 2 adoptees (that we have now) are both Tabby and so close in color that we can only tell them apart by the fluffy tail on one and feathery tail on the other (both girls). Our very first cat that we got as a kitten was a tabby with white paws so we called her Mittens.
Our friend is partial to orange tabbies and has had several over the years.
I read once that Tabby cats were like black cats and least likely to be adopted from a shelter (most preferred a flashy calico or other colors). Cats are like people, it is what’s inside (not the outside) that counts!

Ive always loved Tabby cats. When I was a kid we had a tabby and I was told, and at the time totally believed, that the m mark showed that it was my cat because m is the initial letter of my name. Though I now know this is not the case I still find myself drawn to them because deep down I still think of them as Mels cats.

I rescued four kittens that were born in the woods. Shockingly one four month old kitten was pregnant and had seven babies. I also rescued the mother cat that was having all the babies in the woods. Got these babies all fixed and adopted through “Critter Harbor” in Superior, Wisconsin. I kept the first one and one of the last ones that were born in the woods. One is a beautiful tabby that I’ve had for ten years. All he cares about is being loved and food. He also loves playing “fetch.” He’s still afraid of other people so, he hides when someone comes over. He is the most loving cat I’ve ever had.

Tabbies are the best cats – at least they have always been my favorites. I went to catholic school and definitely grew up with the Virgin Mary legend. Whatever the mean may mean or not mean, they are still gorgeous!